Golds or Tails
by ibuberu
Summary: She's everything but a little mermaid. — GreenBlue, AU.
1. daughter of triton

**notes** – Writing this for the pkmn kink meme on lj, I'm going with the Disney version of the tale, and yesss finally a proper chaptered fic! I know my chapters are weirdly short, but I think this is how the story should be broken up, rather than being smushed together.

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><p><strong>Golds or Tails<strong>

**1. Daughter of Triton**

A grand ship sails across the peace of the ocean, the sound of men banging beers and drinking to old sailor's tales filling the evening air. Two silhouettes emerge out of the waves and swim closer to the celebration of testosterone.

"They're having a party, aren't they?" the mermaid whispers to the squirtle bobbing beside her, a plan hatching in the mirth of her voice.

"And where there are humans, there's bound to be gold! And jewellery!" She claps her hands at the thought, leaping out of the water to hang onto the underside of the ship and peer into a closed porthole. The room is vacant and dark, and she can't make out anything worth stealing. The things is though, humans almost always have the strangest, most fascinating and shiny possessions. She should pay the room a visit, just for fun.

[Blue, are you sure it's safe?] Squirtle asks, his eyes the only feature of his face above the water.

"Naturally, I've done this enough times to do it with one eye closed." The mermaid with long brown hair, but otherwise namesake eyes and tail, nods with sagely experience. She fishes out a small, blunt screwdriver from the contents of her black bikini, before proceeding to tinker with the window.

She's unscrewing the latch of the window when she hears thunder rumbling overhead and Squirtle choking back a yell. "Oh phooey, just my luck," Blue sighs, chewing the inside of her cheek.

Despite Squirtle's hasty and anxious pleas for her to return to the safety of the sea, her hands don't stop working on the window, because she's almost through and –

The door bursts open and she sees a human male, dark hair and green eyes, shouting orders to the men. He looks younger than the other seasoned sailors, but they rush to man the hatches and wind the anchor without protest. She stops to listen for awhile because he's not too ugly for someone who has a pair of legs. She lingers at the corner of the porthole, before a sudden weight on her tail causes her to lose her grip and fall gracelessly back into the water. Squirtle had grabbed and yanked her down.

[Let's go! The storm looks really bad,] the turtle shivers once they're back under the ocean surface, the worry lines on his face softening.

Blue folds her arms as she stares up at the ship, probably filled to the brim with treasures the men have obtained from foreign lands. She can't miss an opportunity like this.

"We'll wait and see, maybe the storm'll pass and I can get back to that window," the mermaid suggests, grabbing onto the paws of her friend, who suddenly looks like he doesn't want anything to do with her.

[Are you sure about this?] he asks, the reluctance in his voice giving way to that silent resignation he's learned to accept when it comes to Blue and her habit of thieving. She likes to refer to it as _shopping_, but the squirtle really doesn't want to argue with her.

"Positive!" Blue smiles, keen and expectant.


	2. part of your world, i

**Golds or Tails**

**2****. Part of your World (i)**

The thunderstorm hits the ship and the waves crash and break against each other.

"I might have been a tad wrong!" Blue shouts over the howling winds as she and Squirtle get tossed around the churning currents.

[Perhaps!] Squirtle almost shrieks, taking shelter in his shell.

Blue struggles against the push of the waves, breaking through the surface of the ocean, only to see the ship caving in under the onslaught of the pelting rain and lightning. Her heart sinks along with its hull, all the treasures now lost to the deep blue. She spots the tiny figures of the sailors hanging onto the remaining buoyant parts of the grand boat whose name had been Anne. They would get to their land, no problem; it was only half an hour's swim away for her.

Then, she hears the splashing of clumsy human limbs, and her gaze falls on the sight of the handsome sailor with the green eyes. Without any shipwreck to hang onto, he looks rather desperate. Blue watches him for a moment, until he stops fighting and is engulfed by a cumbersome wave. When he doesn't resurface for a few seconds, she shrugs to herself and swims towards the drowning boy.

* * *

><p>She manages to haul him back to the beach, him being conveniently unconscious for duration of the trip.<p>

When he's sputtering out water and gasping for breath, Blue feels him all over to check for any loose gold or fancy trinkets. While he does have a nice set of arms, his pockets are empty and terribly wet, and she's mostly disappointed by her catch. Then, she notices the glass pendant hanging around his neck. Her eyes widen, and she knows she's found true love in this man.

She works a hand on the pendant and tries to figure out how to take it off without severing his head. Then again, there is a particularly sharp piece of plank stuck in the sand not too far away. However, the man is already regaining his consciousness and her hand is still grasped firmly around the pendant, and she doesn't have enough time to escape. _What action will make her look the most pure?_

A wingull swoops down onto a nearby rock, and she looks at him for suggestions.

[Trying singing!] the bird squawks. Blue doesn't have time to give him a sour look for stereotyping mermaids.

She starts belting out the first song in her head, about pirates and scurvy. His eyes are blurring in and out of focus, and oh the poor boy must be falling in love with her beauty because he's staring at her with such a glazed, distant look on his face.

"Mind… getting off? I can't breathe," he coughs out. "And could you stop singing? My head's throbbing."

Blue is very taken aback.

She disappears with a firm splash into the sea, smirking an 'oops' when her tail fin slaps the boy clean across his face in the process.


	3. part of your world, ii

**Golds or Tails**

**3****. Part of your World (ii)**

A growlithe barks as it bounds up to the male, who's sitting up from the sand and massaging his jaw with pruny fingers. His expression shifts from confused irritation to calm composure, and his eyes have cleared up enough to search for the girl he'd seen. Blue ducks behind a wall of rocks protruding from the shallow depths of the shore.

When Squirtle pops his head out of the water, ready to gripe about the awful time he'd experience being flung in the storm, Blue holds a finger to his mouth to shush him.

"Green! You're alright!" an aged man wearing a white coat hurries up to his side, helping the boy onto his feet. "We were worried sick, we can't let anything happen to our prince, can we?" the old male laughs, filled with relief and content.

Blue's eyes light up at the mention of the 'p' word, and a devious smile unfurls on her face. Squirtle is shaking his head profusely and making wild actions with his paws that seem to convey the message _'don't even think about it!'_

"Did you happen to see a girl? I think she may have rescued me. She had a loud, annoying voice, and…" Green pauses and stops, he can't seem to remember much else about her.

Blue huffs, furrowing her brow and wondering – surely she left a better impression than that. This human, he was interesting.

"My boy, you seem disoriented. Let's just get you back home for some rest."

"Alright, grandfather." The prince called Green allows himself to be led back to town, his growlithe at his heels.

* * *

><p>"I don't know when," Blue mumbles to herself.<p>

[When?] Squirtle repeats, shuddering.

"And I don't know how," the mermaid continues.

[How? What're you planning, Blue?] the turtle is almost afraid to ask.

"Something's starting right now." She taps his nose. "Watch and you'll see."

"Someday I'll be," she inhales with determination, "part of your world." She stares intently at the image of the young man's back, trying to commit every single detail to mind. The breadth of his shoulders, his gait, the way the pendant around his neck catches the sunlight.

" – And then… I'll be able to horde _even more gold_!" she laughs with ambition.

Midway through her declaration, an ocean wave surges up from behind the rocks she's settled herself against, and the tide drenches her completely. She sniffs, ignoring the intense humiliation, wiping the hair sticking onto her forehead and cheeks with one indignant hand, before disappearing back underwater.


	4. under the sea, i

**notes**– arghhh ignore my fail!science, I am an art student afterall haha. I know water conducts electricity, but let's remember that the laws of physics don't apply in the pokémon world!

this will become more serious… _eventually_

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><p><strong>Golds or Tails<strong>

**4. Under the Sea (i)**

[What did you mean by that, Blue?] Squirtle asks as they dive deeper into the sea, back towards the city.

"I'm going to make that boy fall in love with me, of course," Blue says it like it's the most obvious plan of action after making forbidden contact with a human. "Then I'll be able to have my own share of royal riches." She waves away Squirtle's widening eyes and gapping mouth with carefree disposition.

[I think you're being short-sighted. Love isn't that simple,] the turtle proposes, but Blue only laughs.

"I love money, it's not very complex."

Squirtle decides to keep quiet as they draw closer to the heart of the underwater metropolis, with towers and lights that glow from the lanturn and chinchou's electricity, and streets that wind through multi-coloured coral. The moment they enter through its gates, the mermaid spots three figures charging up to her, and she isn't surprised. This has happened before, and it'll probably happen again. One of them has dark blue hair, tied into two pigtails, while the youngest mermaid leaves her black hair free, with seashells clipped against her bangs. The third one, with the short hair and bright eyes, tackles Blue mercilessly.

"You went out to the surface again, didn't you?" Crystal asks the moment she's within earshot, voice stern.

"We didn't know where you were! I'm glad you're safe." Sapphire releases Blue from her hug.

"Come now, everyone, don't make such a big deal out of it!" she brushes the matter off with a sheepish grin, patting Platina's head with one hand. The girl in question is already inspecting Blue's scales and seashells for any indications of something stolen.

"You didn't take anything this time, did you?" Platina asks curiously.

"No." Blue doesn't bother to hide her disappointment, hanging her head low at the reminder.

"Don't make it sound like such a trivial thing," Crystal scolds. Sapphire nods her head for extra measure.

"Aren't sisters supposed to support each other?" Blue recovers with a hopeful smile, but she's met with an unhappy frown from Crystal and a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders from Sapphire.

"Brother – I mean – the King, wants to speak with you regarding this," Platina informs her, taking her wrist and tugging her towards the castle.

"Hopefully you'll listen to him," the middle sister laments, but Sapphire looks almost uncertain.

* * *

><p>The trident slams hard against the floor.<p>

"Blue, how could you go to the surface," the king sighs as he looms over to her, setting one strong hand on her shoulder.

" – without telling me? Really! Did you at least find something nice for me to wear?" He waves the trident around, mortified.

"_Ruby!_" Sapphire and Crystal shout in perfected unison.


	5. under the sea, ii

**notes** – Time for some headcanon? _Ages_: Blue/Green (18), Crystal (16), Sapphire/Ruby (15), Platina (14), and any other corresponding protags that appear later will be the same age. Ruby's the King because he acts like one most of the time in canon anyways, and he's the only male heir that wants to be king. He's been betrothed to Sapphire since they were 6 years old. One day she just tumbled into the palace garden and played with the siblings and Ruby told his parents that he liked her.

So Sapphire still gets to be Blue's sister (in-law) and Ruby's love interest. (Because I like franticshipping, ok? ;_;)

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><p><strong>Golds or Tails<strong>

**5. Under the Sea (ii)**

"Yes?" Ruby replies.

"I thought we _talked about this_," Sapphire strains the patience in her voice, "about how Blue shouldn't keep going on these wild adventures. She'll get spotted by a human sooner or later."

"Already happened," Blue informs them, raising her hand helpfully.

Crystal's jaw drops. Platina has to multitask between calming down one sister and bodily restraining the other from strangling Blue. Ruby raises his eyebrows with a surprise that betrays neither anger nor distress, in every (shocking) essence, the calm composure of a regal king. He floats back onto his throne, a shade of aquamarine meant to complement his eyes and complexion, before setting his trident down and fiddling with the crown covering his forehead. A milotic rises out from behind the throne to rest her head on his lap.

"I… see," he says, stroking Mimi with a contemplative look on his face.

"Is that all you can say?" Sapphire shouts with exasperation. Blue really doesn't get what the big deal is about.

"I don't think he knew what I was, so you two can just relax," she dismisses the apparent crisis Sapphire and Crystal have kindled between their worrying expressions. "I saved his life, in fact!" Blue adds, priding herself with the act while strategically leaving out the part where she tried to loot his possessions.

"A boy?" Ruby comments, a finger on his temple.

"A handsome one too," Blue elaborates, easily ignoring the glares that Crystal throws at her.

"Don't tell me you– " the mermaid with the starfish earrings starts to say.

"Oh, don't mind me," Blue interjects with a chuckle. "I'll be on my way now, if there's nothing to discuss."

"Blue," Ruby calls her. The girl responds by turning and inclining her chin, if only because he's wearing the crown and because he's the only one left in the room who doesn't want to fillet her. At some point of the conversation, Platina had decided to wander off elsewhere.

"You are the oldest, so you should be given the right to do what you want," Ruby says, shrinking back into his throne when he makes eye contact with Sapphire. "But I don't think it's a good idea to go meddling with humans," he cautions.

"… Their jewelry, on the other hand, is fair game!" the king encourages with a thumbs up, eyes almost shimmering with prospect. "Fabulous, fabulous things, they make. I've been thinking about adding sequins to a cloak I'm sewing for dear Mimi here."

Sapphire lunges for him, her hands clawed. "It's a revolt!" Ruby yelps in terror, his milotic escaping instead of defending him. Crystal rushes to separate the two, if only to get a semblance of control over something.

Blue seizes the opportune chance to slip away unnoticed, which is a shame, really. She'd always enjoyed watching Ruby and Sapphire simultaneously brawl and flirt – it's always been their practiced hobby. Squirtle trails behind her, having hidden in his shell throughout the family politics. His tail quirks with understanding when he sees the path Blue is taking down the road, taking the backstreets out of the city.

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><p>The turtle starts when he feels someone brush past him and tap Blue on the shoulder.<p>

"Blue!" Her brother sidles up to her, an eager grin on his face.

"Yes, Gold?" she entertains him with the briefest glance, before examining her nails with disinterest. The younger sibling had always been the troublemaker of the family, with his constant habit of chasing fins and wooing the female citizens of the city. The two acknowledged blood relation only on the account that they were the life of the parties – it wasn't hard, what with the rest of the siblings being royal joy-killers. This discounted Ruby, of course, who declined anything that could jeopardize his dignified kingly status.

"I couldn't help but overhear you, heck the whole city couldn't help it, so I was thinking, why don't we trade some info?" He swims next to her, batting her hands out of the way and receiving a questioning look from the mermaid. She maneuvers herself around him and continues down the increasingly dense route on the outskirts of the city, filled with sea urchins and overgrown seaweed.

"What can you give to me that I don't already have?" Blue swims through a curtain of seaweed, not bothering to hold it back for Gold, who is momentarily blinded. Squirtle has to help him untangle himself from the merciless plants.

The mermaid dives into a dark opening in between some unwelcoming rocky trenches, and Gold follows, undaunted – more driven by his severe disregard for rational thought, than by anything like fear or reluctance.

Blue emerges in her grotto and baths in the glow of the shelves stacked to the brim with gold coins. There are necklaces of fake and genuine pearls, shimmering jewels, along with a large mirror propped up in the middle of the hideaway, all her stolen treasures.

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><p>"Cool stash. Doesn't look like you've added anything new though," Gold observes once he's wriggled through the tunnel. One hand fixes the goggles he wears on his head down over his eyes as the sun shines through a crevice in the ceiling. The light illuminates the hideout, and Blue just breaths everything in with utter content.<p>

"I'm thinking about adding a glass pendant and a diamond ring to the mix," she tells him, twirling in circles at the thought. Squirtle makes fidgety movements on the floor, trying to seem preoccupied with a broken music box.

"Right, I totally get you, y'know?" Gold flicks his tail to catch her attention. Blue settles on an armchair located under the shelves. It has faded from its prime, but is still every bit as comfy, and the girl nods her head at her brother, interested to see what the merboy will cook up to say.

"You want to hook up with that human, and I just want to hook onto anything remotely female, we're in the same fishbowl," he explains with intense seriousness. Blue stifles a laugh.

"You tell me a few of your girlfriend's numbers, and I give you the D.L. about this magical sea witch I've been hearing about on the streets," Gold propositions. The mermaid sits up from the chair immediately, her hands gripping the armrests and her attention found. "I've heard that she's helped tons of people solve their problems, but the price ain't cheap," the boy carries on, determined to convince her, "so maybe, you know, you could con her into helping you?"

"It is what I do best," Blue agrees, nodding her head.

Suddenly, in a burst of dust and rubble, a feraligatr emerges from the initially tiny doorway, chunks of rock crushed in his jaws. Crystal swims out from behind him with Sapphire and another boy in tow. Upon catching the red of his hair, Gold yells out in protest.

"Silver! I thought I said leave me alone!"

"Yeah, and you thought I was actually going to listen?" the boy replies, shaking his head.

"Well – … that's true."

"How did you find me?" Blue panics, grabbing Squirtle's shell in one hand and climbing up the grotto.

"It was easy, what with Gold's tail," Sapphire pipes up. Blue glares daggers at Gold, who just shrugs his shoulders and consoles her by saying," Can't help it if my tail's awesome and shiny."

The mermaid harrumphs, before disappearing out of the hole at the top of the grotto without any delay.

"Wait – Blue? What about my numbers?" Gold gasps, betrayed.

"How could you, Gold?" Crystal chews her lip. "There's no telling what the witch will do with Blue," the mermaid frowns, almost fearful. "Why do you think we've never told Blue about her? _Who knows what havoc those two could cause if they got acquainted!_" Crystal shudders. Silver gives her a comforting pat while Gold hears her speaking but doesn't exactly listen. He takes off his goggles to check out Sapphire's tail, a wide smile on his face.

Crystal doesn't stay for long, propelling herself ahead to catch up with Blue, and Gold doesn't stay conscious for long, receiving a throttling from Sapphire, who catches him staring below her neckline.

"Why do I have to be related to this… _thing_," Silver mutters, a hand on his face. Sapphire looks on with a sympathetic smile, giving him a slap on the back in hopes of cheering him up. She makes a noise when she feels someone grabbing onto her tail fin.

"I think I need mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Sapphire," Gold mutters feebly from his spot on the ground.

Silver considers the sharp-looking rock on the ground.

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><p><strong>notes – <strong>  
>And with that, we have the seven siblings of the sea, just like the original Disney movie with Ariel and her sisters! Gold, Silver and Crys are triplets.<p> 


End file.
